


Chlorine

by hyperfeline



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: 1st chapter might be a bit heavy but i promise this fic will get more lighthearted, actually most of the campers might be written that way as well, content warnings will be before chapters if needed since i rambled too much in the tags, harrison and henry are autistic in this, im writing my own rep because why not, mostly going to be centered on harrison nerris preston and henry, my autistic ass couldnt help it sorry, nothing gross tho so dont worry, oh yea daniels cult is in this, tags and relationships will be edited as needed, takes place right after season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2019-10-22 15:58:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17665631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperfeline/pseuds/hyperfeline
Summary: Harrison figured that the excitement of his summer was over. He had new friends and some new tricks up his sleeve. But when his twin brother reappears in his life, things take a rocky turn as he unravels the mystery about what had happened to him over the past year and things quickly change at Camp Campbell. (UNDER HIATUS DUE TO ME WANTING TO GET A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE+ WORK ON OTHER THINGS, LIFE STUFF, ETC)





	1. This Isn't Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Mild abuse referenced and shown in this chapter. I personally don't consider it too heavy but just wanted to give a heads up since one of of my friends was a bit uncomfortable with one scene when I let them test read so I figured that others might be. Read with caution and stay safe!

Henry was used to the letters by now. They would poof into existence on a fairly regular schedule. He would open them, read them and then crumple them up. Every once in a while a small piece of candy would be delivered.  
  
It was Sunday. Adjusting himself in the stained cot where he slept, Henry looked at the ceiling. Peeling paint and a couple of odd stains greeted him. He sighed. A new letter was due soon.  
  
He didn’t mind them. In fact, each letter relieved his worries. He wanted to know what was going on. But the joy and curiosity was replaced with a sense of bitterness and jealousy. He wasn’t miserable or stuck in a community of literal cultists like Henry was. He had friends. He was free.  
  
Right on cue, a new letter appeared. Henry ripped it from the air and begin to read:  
  
_Hey Henry!_  
  
_You would not believe what happened. Remember when I told you that I was sent to Magic Camp? Well with the help of Max we burned it down. Amazing! I know you should have seen the look on the counselors face. Max, David and Mr Campbell set up a plan to gather everyone up and get our camp back. I can’t write much currently, Preston wants to sleep. He’s giving me that look. Anyway Mr Campbell turned himself in so now he’s working at the camp and David is in change. Its hilarious. I wish you were here. You don’t reply to any of these so I worry. I miss you…._  
  
“Of course you miss me. Henry mumbled. “Why don’t you try harder?”  
  
Like every time he received a letter, the decision to send one back or not was weighed in his mind. He came close to responding more than once. Getting paper and a writing instrument wasn’t hard. He could pull one out of thin air if he wanted to. He always backed out.  
  
Footsteps alerted Henry. He had to dispose of the letter fast. No outside contact was allowed and the penalties were severe. His eyes darted around the room while his mind raced. Toss it? Rip it? Burn it? Henry wasn’t too skilled with fire but he could produce a small flame. That was his quickest and most effective option. But was it possible at the moment?  
  
The door opened. He only had a few seconds.

In what was probably one of the things in his personal top ten foolish things ever done list, Henry crumpled up the letter into a ball and shoved it into his mouth.  
  
“Henry dear there’s a meeting.” Mrs Buddington’s accent rang through the room. He knew that she was from England but he never asked from which section. He gave her a large grin and nodded. A trickle of sweat ran down his neck.

 Meetings weren’t rare in the complex that Henry lived at. He lived in one of the smallest buildings on the outskirts. The main hall (where meetings and certain meals were served) was the biggest and close to the center. There was no electricity or personal facilities in Building C-3. A was for the full sized houses. B was for trailers or smaller houses. C… most C buildings were sheds. Henry’s was just big enough for a cot, desk and chair.  
  
Mrs Buddington gave Henry an odd look. “Are you ready? You seem a bit ill?” She reached out her hand to feel his forehead but he ducked away.  
  
With a miraculously discreet gulp, he swallowed the now soggy letter that was in his mouth.

“I’m fine. I just got… a bit choked up.” Henry winced. But the woman didn’t react. “Why am I going? Most of the meetings are only for adults?”  
  
“That is true but since you are one of our few youngins around here… we might need you.” She patted the top of his head and gave him a look over. “How did you manage to get dirt on your pants like that?” Mrs Buddingtion shook her head. She put a hand in her purse and pulled out a baby wipe.  
  
“I am stuck in a shed. Remember?” Henry whined. “Its not exactly clean in here. There was ants in my bed the other night.”  
  
“Tsk tsk tsk. I don’t want to hear excuses young man.” She handed him the wipe.  
  
Henry scrubbed at the dirt stain but it didn’t want to lift away completely. He forced the wipe harder on his pants. “Oh come on.” The temptation to use magic was tingling him from the inside out. Why did the mandated clothes had to be all white or gray? They stained very easily and it annoyed Henry. Closing his eyes, he focused on the stain. Within a few moments it vanished. He returned the wipe to Mrs Buddingtion.  
  
Mrs Buddingtion was satisfied with the results and gave Henry back the wipe. He hesitated but it joined the stain soon after. They stepped out into the warm summer air. The sun was about to set within the next hour or two. The cooler temperatures relaxed Henry.

“Did Daniel want me to play the piano again?” he asked. “I know he was happy with my previous performance.” There was a slight bounce in his step.  
  
“No he does not. In fact this isn’t the usual meeting. Its only going to be me, you and a couple of the high council.” She gripped his hand.  
  
Henry stopped bouncing and frowned. “What’s this about?” They walked briskly towards the main hall. “Doesn’t the council usually put on big displays? Why are they here if it’s just me?” A man nodded at them and opened the door.  
  
“Welcome. Welcome.”  
  
He knew that voice. He knew it too well.  
  
Henry looked up at Daniel. Like the rest of the men in the complex, he wrote all white and was clean shaven. His voice was persuasive and soothing. He wrote the typical outfit that was seen around the cult but his icy blue eyes made him stand out from the crowd.

 He was the one who found Henry on the side of the road. Found him a couple to raise him. Younger Henry attached himself onto Daniel and looked up to him.

 But Daniel had a darker side that knew all too well. He wasn't raised by him personally but he did check on Henry constantly.

 

_"You can't keep doing this Henry. You need to hold it in. Your emotions... they are bad for you. Look at what you done." The room was cold and clouds of breath were escaping Daniels lips. He gestured around. The floor of the shed was coated in a thin layer of ice._

_"I'm... sorry."_

_"Sorry won't fix the pipes you broke._

_"He avoided Daniel's gaze. "I'm still learning..."_

_Slap._

_Daniel's hand came into contact with Henry's cheek._

_"Try harder. And if I find out that you caused any more damage around here I'll..."_

_The ice coating the floor grew thicker._

_" What did I just say!" Henry kneeled. "I... can't help it...." he sobbed. The temperature in the room dropped again._

_Daniel sighed. He glared at the now crying child at his feet. "Until you can control your powers you are staying here under my orders." He turned around and slammed the shed door shut._

 

Henry rubbed his cheek at the memory. It had been a few months since that incident.  
  
“Hello sir.” he managed to mumble.  
  
Daniel tilted his head. “Now now. Don’t mumble all like that.” He turned around “Follow me. The council wishes to speak with you.”  
  
Henry gave Mrs Buddington once last look before trailing Daniel. “Is she coming too?”  
  
“If she wishes to follow, then yes.”  
  
The small group ended up in a side room. Two men and one woman was waiting for them, dressed in council robes, seated and had their full attention. A plate of cheese and crackers was on the table. The light in the room was sharp and a dizzying bright white.  
  
Henry winced. It had been a while since he was exposed to a light like that. His eyes tried to adjust to the light but they failed leaving him blinking and a bit overloaded. He reached towards the snacks, earning him a few disappointed glares and a smack to his hand. One of the council members pointed at the floor. Henry crossed his arms stubbornly. He shook his head. He wasn’t going to sit on the floor. He wasn’t treated this badly before. Didn’t they need him? Why treat him like scum? Luckily Daniel stepped in.  
  
“Settle down.” He pulled out a chair for Henry who silently accepted it.  
  
“Daniel you know better to override a command like that.”  
  
“Sorry ma'am. I figured that he deserved a seat. After all we are relying on him….”  
  
“Silence!” She took a deep breath. “I’ll speak with you.” Her eyes flashed dangerously at Daniel. “After this.” Daniel nodded. “Sure thing Cherry.”  
  
Haden huffed. “High Priest August? Would you like to start things off?” He gestured towards the other man who stood up and cleared his throat.  
  
“As you all know recruitment is at an all time low. We aren’t making much money and we don’t have enough of a population to keep the rest in check. The High Council can only do so much. We have had a few escape recently from a nearby complex and just last week someone from ours has slipped out. I sent a team out to… hopefully keep things silent but as you all know… you can only get away with a certain amount of murder each year.”  
  
“What does this have to do with me?” Henry interrupted, stealing a cracker when Mrs Buddington’s gaze was away from him.  
  
“Hush up. Because of this we needed a new way to gain more fellow… believers. Daniel here came to me with an idea last week and I heard him out. Children are very easy to rope in and if we can get their parents as well. That is a bonus for us! There’s several local summer camps. Daniel has experience with one of those and according to him its our best chance. Despite being a complete idiot he managed to get some information but we need more.”  
  
“So you want me to go?” Henry asked. Crumbs covered the table.  
  
“Precisely.”  
  
Camps… The voices around him swirled around until he was lost in a fog of thoughts. Which one were they sending him to? Was it the same one as… no way. He could be fortunate at times but this was impossible. It would be nice to see him again however. How would the reunion go? What if he was wrong? He was wrong. He wasn’t going to him see ever again.  
  
A hand on his shoulder jolted Henry back to the present. “You understand me?” August raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Yes.” Henry stammered, still coming to. He had no idea what he had missed.  
  
“Good. Tonight is your last night with us and then tomorrow morning you will be dropped off at the bus stop. Your paperwork has been filled out and accepted since Friday.” August stood up and shook hands with the other high council members, Daniel and Mrs Buddington.  
  
Everyone stood up and left the building. The council members headed towards Section A, where their houses were. Daniel followed Mrs Buddington and Henry.  
  
“You fogged out again.” Mrs Buddington said.  
  
“What. No I didn’t.” It was a lie but he had no time to think.  
  
“He should be fine. He knows the basics. Go in, gain the trust of the counselors, report what you learn to us in some form and within a few weeks we should have what we need.” Daniel explained. “If I could get in there… I see you succeeding young man.”  
  
Henry was redirected to the showers by Mrs Buddington once they got close to C-3. Made sense. She wanted him clean for his first day at camp. Thankfully the showers were empty. Henry enjoyed the privacy. The water was pleasant and for once things seemed to be looking up. Hope wasn’t something he felt for a long time.  
  
The walk back was less enjoyable. His feet were still wet from the showers so they were all muddy within seconds. Only a towel covered his body. He stumbled to his shed.  
  
“I left your clothes on your bed dear. Make sure you get to bed early.” Mrs Buddington kissed his cheek and then exited towards the B buildings.  
  
Alone. Henry was used to this. He shut the door to the shed and turned on the lantern that was on his desk. Pale light filled his surroundings. On the cot there was two piles of clothing. Pajamas and his outfit for tomorrow. He wiped his muddy feet off with the towel and threw it on the floor. The pajamas were a relief to put on. They were slightly warm and smelled fresh. After getting dressed Henry examined the other pile. It had a white shirt, a black tie, light gray dress pants and a matching vest and hat. It wasn’t much different than his usual wear but it was oddly comforting.  
  
He curled up in bed and sighed. He closed his eyes. After a few moments he drifted off.  
  
  
Gwen studied the paperwork in her hands. “David we are expecting a new camper tomorrow.”  
  
“A new camper? Wonderful!” David hopped out of his chair and rushed over to Gwen.  
  
“Isn’t it a bit… late for new campers?” Mr Campbell groaned. “I can’t deal with anymore of these troublemakers.”  
  
Gwen rolled her eyes. “If we have dealt with them all summer then I think you can manage the next… oh what. Three years of service here?”

“The more the merrier!” David chirped. “Now who’s the lucky kiddo? I’m so excited to meet him!”  
  
Gwen read aloud the paperwork. “His name is Henry. Age: 10. Magic Camp and Music Camp.” She paused. “But there is no accurate contact information. I called the number on here multiple times and got no response. Unless his parents are busy. Hmm. Could be it.”  
  
“Poor fella. I hope he’s in camper spirit when he arrives.”  
  
“Seems sketchy.”  
  
“I know.” Gwen glanced at the papers again. “I have a funny feeling about this kid…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a month of work I'm finally ready to publish this. I'm not sure on how this will progress but I really wanted to have some nice character interactions and a interesting plot. This will be the same mood as the show but it might get a bit darker at times. (like in this chapter for example but things might ramp up a bit more) Rating and tags will change as needed. Maybe I'll stop being a rambly mess in the tags hahah. I don't expect romantic relationships to play a huge role at the moment but don't stress if ships are your thing, I did have some stuff planned. Most of the focus will be platonic relationships and David being Camp Dad (and Gwen being Camp Mom as well) possibly? Not sure yet. 
> 
> If I made a mistake in editing or you want to leave feedback feel free to comment! Not sure how often I'll update but I can try for at least twice a month. (Unless you are fine with shorter chapters, then I might be able to update more often) 
> 
> Next chapter things will pick up a bit and we will return to Camp Campbell.


	2. Happy... reunion??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry finally arrives at camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know that I said last chapter that this was going to get more lighthearted... and it is don't worry but heads up for a very minor character death in the beginning.
> 
> Yes the chapter name is a reference to a line from the season 3 finale I'm sorry I had to.

A sudden and loud thump from outside woke Henry up. He rushed to the door and flew it open. It was a bit hard to see in the muted morning light but there was a man laying on the ground surrounded by a gasping crowd. The man stood up.

  
  
“Refuse the words of the council! We are all being lied to! Ascension is a lie!” He flashed around a yellow shirt. The crowd grew angry.

  
  
“Sacrifice him!”

 

“He has a color not approved by the pure one!”

 

“Traitor!”

  
The shouting grew louder but the man was not afraid. He continued to wave around the shirt. More people were attracted to the scene and there was even a few high council members starting to get close.

  
Henry backed up. “This isn’t good.” he whispered to himself. There had been rumors of rebels among the complex’s population but he did not see much truth in them. Now one was directly in his face.

  
  
“You!” The man pointed at Henry. “Clearly you believe me?”

  
  
“Sir… I don’t know.” His hands were shaking as he gripped a backpack. Mrs. Buddington had left it by his cot in the middle of the night. It contained some supplies for camp, spare clothes and a small bit of food.

  
  
The man spit on the ground. “Of course you don’t. You are just as foolish as the rest of these mindless zombies.”

  
  
Henry tiptoed past the scene and broke into a run towards Mrs Buddington. She was at the edge of the property waiting for him.

  
  
“Remember this! Remember me! Remember...”

  
  
A loud painful scream cut the man’s words short but Henry kept going. He squeezed his eyes shut. It was over.

  
  
Mrs Buddington ignored Henry’s shaken up state and whisked him to the bus stop nearby. He stood there, heart beating and shaking.

  
  
“Don’t you fail us.” She stepped away.

  
  
Henry wanted to respond but he couldn’t. His brain gave the command to speak. His mouth however did not want to cooperate. He whined. Bad time for a shut down.

  
  
_You just witnessed something a bit traumatic so maybe you should be gentle on yourself._ That was the inner voice in his head speaking. He shook it away. He did not want to deal with this. He sat on the bench and opened the backpack. A granola bar caught his eye. That would do for now. The bus would arrive very soon and Henry was grateful. The quicker he could get away from all of this, the better.

  
  
Ten minutes later a bus pulled up to the stop. Henry jumped up and brushed the granola crumbs from his pants. He examined the bus. It was a lot like a school bus but on the side the words _Camp Campbell_ were there.

  
_No._

 

  
Harrison stood in the breakfast line at the Mess Hall. Preston was in front of him, humming away. Someone shoved Harrison from behind. He spun around expecting it to be Nurf but nope it was Nerris.

  
  
“Hey dwarf face.” She gave him a braces filled grin.

  
  
“Nerd.”

  
  
“No you.”

  
  
They glared at each other but then broke into laughter.

  
  
Preston stopped humming and stomped his foot. “Where’s the food? I’m starving!”

 

 The line grew larger as more campers crawled out of their tents and made their way to the Mess Hall. Several of them got grouchy due to the wait. A few more minutes passed and Quartermaster finally started to serve the first meal of the day.

  
  
“Well finally! I was starting to die out here!”

 

“Ow that was right in my ear Preston!” Nerris complained.

  
  
“What?”

  
  
“Stop yelling in my ear!”

  
  
Harrison sighed. Something was up with Preston lately. He always tended to yell while speaking but recently it was more common and starting to get on everyone’s nerves. It didn’t help that Preston seemed unresponsive to what others were saying at times. Maybe he would discuss that with him later.

  
  
Quartermaster filled their trays up with pancakes, a few orange slices and a piece of bacon. A surprisingly good quality meal compared to the usual slop.

  
  
Preston picked at his food before furiously stabbing a piece of pancake with his fork and shoving it in his mouth.

  
  
“Do you know what’s wrong?” Harrison whispered.

  
  
“It doesn’t take a perception check to figure that out.”

  
  
Preston eyed Harrison and Nerris. They were speaking but he couldn’t process it. It was faint and kind of scrambled.

  
  
Harrison noticed Preston’s glance. A idea came to mind. With a few discreet movements and some magic, he wrote up a quick note and passed it over. Speech was unreliable right now and a note seemed to be the only option for communication currently.

 

  
_If you want maybe we can talk about this back at the tent… once we get the chance. Don’t tell Nerris this but I’m a bit worried about you. I might be able to help. It sadly doesn’t involve magic._

  
  
Preston picked up the pen that Nerris rolled to him.

 

_I’m perfectly fine. There’s nothing wrong with me._

 

Harrison shot his friend a disappointed look.

  
_I don’t want to pester you but come on we all know that’s a lie. Its okay. We are friends. You aren’t weak.  
_

_  
Harrison shut up there is NOTHING wrong with me. I am perfectly fine._

  
_Okay then. If that is the case. Then talk to me right now. Why do you think we are passing notes? I’m not trying to pick on you. I’m concerned. Nerris is too. We want to help you._

  
Nerris grabbed a spare pen and jumped in.

  
_Stop fighting dummies. You two can do this later at the tent._

 

  
The door to the Mess Hall flew open and David walked in followed by Mr. Campbell and Gwen.

  
  
“Everyone outside!”

  
There was some grumbles but the trays and tables were cleaned up and everyone met up with the counselors by the flagpole.

 

“Hello campers! I hope all of you are having a great morning!” David bounced in front of the group. “Now that breakfast is over I can introduce you to your new friend.”

  
  
“Who says that they are going to be our friend.” Max grumbled.

  
  
“Not with your attitude he won’t be.”

  
  
“New camper?” Nikki gasped. “I’m going to show him my collection!” She held up a glass jar that was filled with shells of dead bugs and a few bits of reptile skin.

  
  
“I’m sure he’ll love it.” Gwen sighed. “Can we just get this over with? I had a few activities planned and we are a bit behind schedule.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And I wanted to have some alone time today.”

  
  
“Sure thing!” David headed towards the edge of camp. “I’ll be right back!”

  
  
The rest of the camp buzzed excitedly and talked among themselves. A new camper? This late into the summer?

  
  
“I bet he’s an alien.”

  
  
“Shut up Space Kid. Aliens aren’t real. They are just the creation of nutjobs who want to make money. Right Neil?” Max turned to one of his partners in crime.

  
  
“Well currently there’s no signs of intelligent life in the universe but scientists have discovered bacterial colonies on several planets. The odds of no other intelligent life are quite slim. We just don’t have the technology to fully explore the universe. There has to be at least one other planet that will support evolved lifeforms. They might be quite different than us due to the environment they came from.”

  
  
Normally Max would have gotten annoyed at Neil’s science infodumps but lately he was learning to be more patient.

  
  
Space Kid grinned. “So they are real!”

  
  
“Well… could be. The details of their existence are unknown.”

 

Nurf punched his other fist. “Whoever he is, he better behave or he will get my FIST… but not really. I’m taking more a diplomatic approach to my problems lately.”

  
  
“Good for you man.” Ered gave him a high five.

  
  
“I haven’t received a wedgie from you in a week!” Dolph cheered.

  
  
“I need more actors for my next play. I hope he is better than the rest of you.” Preston crossed his arms. “You all act like potatoes!”

  
  
“Hey my performance as Dr. Dolph was okay!” Harrison piped up. “Right?”

 

Nerris snickered. “Sure it was.”

  
  
“Oh come on.”

  
  
“Both of you need improvement!” Preston pushed them apart.

  
  
Harrison wanted to argue but he caught a glimpse of the two figures walking towards him. David and…

  
  
Him???

  
  
Everyone grew silent. Time itself seemed to stop. Harrison backed up. Was he visibly shaking? His surroundings seemed to blur together. His breathing grew faster and more panicked.

  
  
“Hey he looks like Harrison!” Nikki announced

  
  
_No no please don’t say that. Is my face red? I’m getting hot. I can’t do this I need to RUN._

  
  
“Harry?”

  
He opened his eyes. The grass by his feet was smoking. Finally he cracked.

  
  
He dashed over and wrapped his arms around his brother who jumped in surprise.

  
  
“I missed you.” Harrison managed to choke out. “How did you even get here?” He backed away from Henry. “Whats up with the odd outfit?”

  
  
“You two know each other?” David fished in his pocket for a Happy First Day Camper! pin.

  
  
“Of course they know each other dumbass. Look at them they are nearly identical!” Max gestured towards them. “Of course his outfit does concern me… hey new kid know anyone called...”

  
  
“Whoa whoa whoa. Chill out.” Gwen gently nudged Max. “That’s enough.”

  
  
Harrison felt the fear leave his stomach. He relaxed and started to flap his hands in joy. “When the accident happened I thought that I would never see you again. I tried so hard to bring you back but I failed every time.”

  
  
Henry greeted him with a slap to the face.

  
  
“Ow! Hey!” Harrison rubbed his cheek. “I guess I deserved that. Sorry about my silly mistake.”

 

Henry’s eyes narrowed but soon after he broke into a grin. He booped Harrison’s nose. “You better not do that again.”

  
  
They both laughed.

  
  
“So… that’s his missing brother? What’s wrong with his eyes?” Mr Campbell put down a box filled with dodge balls.

  
  
“My eyes are just fine thank you very much.” Henry snapped.

  
  
“I’m not trying to be rude there buddy.”

  
  
He ignored the response and stormed away towards the tents.

  
  
“What is his problem?” Mr. Campbell watched Henry throw his bag into a random tent.

  
  
“Henry… was bulled for his heterochromia a lot during school.” Harrison confessed. “He doesn’t like it when people point it out.”

  
  
“Oh so that’s his name.” Space Kid grinned.

  
  
“He’s scared of straight people?

  
  
“No that isn’t what that means, Nikki. It means you have two different colored eyes.” Neil explained.

  
  
“Oh.”

  
  
“In Henry’s case. One is green like Harrison’s and the other is blue.”

  
  
“Cool! I should say hi to him.”

  
  
Gwen blocked the path. “Whoa there. I think its best that we leave him alone for now. If David wants to….”

  
  
“I’ll check on him.” Harrison raised his hand.

 

“Harrison no. We were about to start our camp activity.” David picked up a dodge ball. “We found these in storage. Something different and fun!”

 

“Oh fuck yeah!” Nurf cheered.

 

 “I’ll pass.” Harrison walked away, in search for his brother.

 

“Is… anyone going to stop him?” Dolph asked.

 

Gwen let him pass. “Its fine. I’ll go and get them after a few. David and Campbell can set up the game while I keep an eye on them.”

 

 

Harrison found Henry in the tent that he shared with Preston.

  
“Oh so you did manage to find my tent.”

  
“No. I just threw my bag in a random one.” Henry unzipped his backpack. More white and gray clothes. Out of all of the supplies why didn’t Mrs. Buddington pack him a sleeping bag? Thankfully there was a small blanket at the bottom. He pulled that out, causing the remaining items to spill on the ground.

  
“Max was looking for those.” Harrison picked up a box of matches. “I told him that he didn’t need them and could rely on me but… I don’t think I’m trusted quite yet.”

  
Henry smiled weakly. “Take them.”

 

There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a moment.

 

“I can ask David to get you a new shirt.”

  
“I don’t need one.”

  
“Well… its not a choice. Camp rules.”

  
Henry cleaned up the items that fell out of his bag. “Fine. I hate these clothes anyway.”

 

“Where have you been?” Harrison pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. He started to shuffle. “You seem… different.”

 

“I can’t talk about it.”

  
One of the cards hit the floor.

 

“First Preston and now you. Everyone has secrets today.”

  
The tent became colder.

  
“Hen Hen?” Harrison stopped shuffling. “Are you… okay? I just wanted to catch up with you its been a year and I’ve missed you so much…”

  
“Stop calling me that.”

  
  
“You didn’t mind it before?”

 

 Henry stood up. The ground beneath his feet froze. “Don’t talk to me.” He left the tent, leaving Harrison behind.

  
Gwen tried to get his attention but Henry ignored her as he stomped by. The cold air surrounding him startled her. She thought about going after him but changed her mind. It was best to keep her distance for now.

  
“I think we should delay the game until Henry can join in.” David suggested.

  
“Let the other campers play without him.” Gwen noticed Harrison returning to the flagpole. “Are you willing to join in?”

 

 Harrison nodded. He had nothing better to do.

 

David split the campers into two teams. Nikki, Max, Neil, Dolph and Ered were team A while Nurf, Preston, Nerris, Harrison and Space Kid were the other team.

 

Mr. Campbell dumped the balls in the middle of the field. “Um… have fun? Don’t harm each other. We don’t have insurance and there’s no guarantee that the car will run. So if you need a hospital visit…. you’re done for.”

 

 Nikki laughed. “He’s silly. Who is going get hurt? Its just dodge ball!”

  
  
A ice coated dodge ball flew through the air and almost smacked Harrison in the shoulder. Everyone looked over to find Henry with a small pile of balls and a mischievous grin on his face.

  
  
“Yep. He’s going to kill someone by the end of the summer.” Max noted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a lot harder to write certain characters than I thought? But I think I did a okay job. I don't expect 100% perfection but I'm trying to get everyone as in character as possible. Formatting is a bit of a pain as well so if you see uneven spacing and that negatively impacts your reading ability let me know so I can fix it. It should be a space between each line and 2 spaces for a scene change or switching perspective of some kind (like describing contents of a letter) 
> 
> Expect the next chapter some time in March. Unless by some miracle I'm able to write 2000-3000 words within the next week.


	3. Ice Ice Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Campers play a game of dodge ball and Henry adjusts to camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No content warnings for this chapter! (that I could think of at the moment) Hopefully the formatting isn't a mess like last chapter. The extra space was nice but it seemed a bit odd.

“Oh that’s wonderful! I’m glad you decided to join in Henry! Just… don’t freeze any more of the balls and throw them at the campers.” David directed him to join Team A, where Max, Nikki, Neil, Ered and Dolph where standing.

“How was he able to do that?” Nerris nudged Harrison. 

“Oh. He has magic too.”

“Oh no.”  
  
The balls were returned to the center of the field and the game begun for real. The counselors stood on the side, making sure there was no more incidents and that everyone was playing fairly.

“The winners get ice cream!” David grinned before blowing a whistle.

“Look out dick turd!” Nurf swung a ball towards Dolph who yelped in fear. He ducked and the ball missed him. It bounced off Neil’s face, knocking him over.  
  
“Out!” Gwen pointed at Neil and gestured at him to leave the field.  
  
“Neil you suck!” Max booed.  
  
“Max don’t be rude. He tried.” Nikki grabbed a handful of balls. She directed them to the other side one after the other. Three hit Space Kid on his helmet, producing a satisfying _donk_ noise with each impact. This distracted Preston and he was soon taken out by Ered.  
  
“He… was just standing there?” Harrison gave Space Kid a confused look as he walked off field. “Ah!” He dodged several balls that came flying from Henry.

 “Stop targeting me!”  
  
Henry stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry, earning a giggle from Nikki.

 “I like the new kid. He’s fun.”  
  
Max shook his head. 

 Nerris rolled out of the way from a steady stream of balls. She stood up. “Come on we can’t lose like this! A true mage always aims for...” Nurf sidestepped and bumped into her. Her round glasses hit the ground. She fumbled for a bit but felt on her butt, sitting on them.  
  
“Noooooooooooooo.”  
  
A red ball hit her side. Furious, she got up and examined her glasses. A lens was popped out on one side and the front was slightly twisted. One of the side pieces was snapped off.

Harrison glanced over. “Hand them over. I can fix them.”  
  
Nerris ignored him and stomped over to the side.  
  
“Or… maybe not.” A green ball smacked him from behind. Nikki and Dolph cheered.

 Nurf avenged Harrison by getting Ered out. She was focused on gathering up a few balls that had rolled on her side and wasn’t aware of Nurf’s winding up.  
  
Dolph attempted to toss a ball but it didn’t travel very far. He wanted to do something to help. Nurf was the last one on the other team. One more out and glorious ice cream for their team! What a treat!

  _Doink. Doink Doink._  
  
Max, Dolph and Henry were taken out by Nurf’s tosses.

Nikki sprinted towards a rolling ball, dodged a few from Nurf and wrapped it her arms. She bounced up. “Just try to hit me!”

Nurf took this challenge and aimed a yellow ball in her direction. It failed to hit her.

 “See? I’m too fast!” Nikki scooped up more balls, throwing those at Nurf. All but one missed.

David blew the whistle and led the sweaty campers towards the showers.

 

“That was a shitty game.” Max complained. “But hey we won.” He banged his fist on the door. “Hurry up Preston! I know that’s you in there! I can hear your god awful singing from out here.”

 “Isn’t there two showers?” Neil piped up.  
  
“Yes but that one is in use too. Fuck the girls have it so easy. There’s only three of them. We need to wait in lines. I mean Scotty is at home now so that’s one less person to deal with but the fucking lines suck!”

“Oh… yea. Scotty. I heard his mom sent in a letter. He’s recovering nicely from the incident.”

 Harrison looked at his towel, trying to avoid Henry’s gaze. He was in the other line thankfully but what happened at the tent still bugged him.

  _Why is he so mad at me? Is he upset over the accident? He seemed forgiving this morning. Why the change of heart so soon? He can’t hate me forever. I won’t allow it._

 Dolph left the second shower and marched towards the mess hall. It was Henry’s turn. His eyes met Harrison’s.

  _Oh fuck.  
_

Henry gave his brother a quick nod before walking into the shower.  
  
_Well maybe he is starting to feel better._

 The door to the first shower flew open and Preston burst out. Max quickly jumped in behind him with a relieved sigh.

 

After showers, the campers made their way to the mess hall for lunch. Henry looked around the room while gripping his tray. Everyone had their groups. Max, Neil and Nikki sat together. For once Max didn’t seem grumpy.

“So I could fix the computer.”

“Oooo.” Nikki shoved potatoes her mouth. “Can we watch cat videos on it?”

 “If I can get the internet hooked up. But this camp has crappy dial up I swear.”

“What about the wifi you stole from the Flower Scouts?” Max poked at his carrots.

 “Deactivated. I’ve tried to get it working again but sadly it requires tools that I don’t have.” Neil frowned. “We could sneak out to town. I don’t have cash however...”  
  
“Dumpster diving!” Nikki cheered.  
  
Henry turned his attention to Dolph and Ered. Dolph had a pile of markers and was scribbling on Ered’s arm.  
  
“Whoa. That’s rad little dude.”  
  
“Finally some one who enjoys my art.” He took out a small bottle of baby powder and sprinkled it on the finished “tattoo” which was a rose. “That should stay on for a week.”  
  
“Can I get one too?” Space Kid wandered over to their table. He gasped at Ered’s arm. Nurf joined their table and requested some skin art as well.

 Nerris was writing up her next campaign for the next questing session. Preston glanced over.

 “The bard in this campaign is at a high disadvantage.”

“You just want to make this easier for yourself.” Nerris pushed him away. “I refuse to change any of this. Its a perfect set up.”

Henry approached them cautiously. “Can I sit here?”

Harrison almost choked on his peas. “Sure?” He scooted over so his brother could sit by him.

“Sorry about earlier.”

“What?” Harrison coughed up more peas in shock.

“You heard me.” Henry stabbed the potatoes on his tray. “I went too far. I’m sorry.”

 Nerris and Preston stopped bickering. “Holy crap he actually apologized.”

Preston clapped. “Good for you! Now make up so I don’t have to fear any more ice balls.”

 “Yea.. I was curious about that.”

 “Oh hey your glasses are fixed.” Henry noticed, dodging the topic.

Nerris fell for the redirect. “Oh yea… Harrison stole them from me. He’s lucky that they didn’t break more. Must have rolled an 18 on his magic.”

 “Hey! I told you I had it!” Harrison crossed his arms. “I know that I’m not reliable but...”  
  
“Still having accidents?” Henry teased.  
  
“Oh hush up. You aren’t perfect either.”

 “So… Henry has ice abilities? What about other kinds of magic?” Nerris asked.

 Henry rolled his eyes. “Why do you care?”  
  
“Don’t be rude to her!” Preston slapped him upside the head.

 Harrison winced but thankfully Henry stayed calm… a bit too calm in fact. “Why did you slap him like that?”  
  
“Oops.” Preston patted Henry on the back.

 The floor around their table froze. Ice started to crawl up the bench and Nerris jumped on the table to avoid it. “Hey! Cut that out!”

 Preston was unaware and his legs got stuck. He looked down and screamed.

 The ice around Harrison melted. He focused for a moment. The balance shifted and the soon Preston’s legs were free from their icy prison. The remaining ice soon melted as well.

 “I haven’t done that in quite some time.”  
  
“I’m free!” Preston threw his arms into the air.  
  
Nerris stared at Henry with wide eyes. She then looked at Harrison. “One of you was enough of an issue now I have to deal with two accidents waiting to happen??”  
  
“I thought that I was weaker than you.”  
  
Her face turned warm. “Shut up.” she stuttered, turning away.

 Preston studied her reaction and then returned to his food.

 David and Gwen passed around pint sized tubs of ice cream for the winning team members.

 Henry spaced out at his. The label said that it was mint chocolate chip. A personal favorite of his. He popped open the lid and dug in.

 “Aren’t you going to share that?” Harrison eyed the container.

His brother was in bliss with the ice cream. Finally something that wasn’t plain! The mint was sharp on his tongue and the bits of dark chocolate added an occasional bitter touch. It was even a bit freezer burned which made it even more enjoyable.

Henry snapped out of his moment. “Yea.” he mumbled, licking the spoon. 

Harrison grabbed a spoon and poked at the ice cream. “Aw no its freeze burned.”  
  
“I like it better that way.”  
  
Nerris snickered at Henry's response.

  
  
The campers were gestured towards their activities and told to practice or “do whatever just don’t burn down the camp.” Harrison turned a bit red with guilt causing Henry to smile a bit.

_I wonder what happened with that. A minor accident? Harry you clumsy fool...”  
_

Gwen and David walked over to Henry. He noticed a keyboard in David’s hands. “Is that for me?”  
  
“Yup!”

“We don’t have much around here. This is all we got.” Gwen noticed Henry’s disappointed expression. She set up the folding table.

“Aw I’m sure he doesn’t mind!” David blew the dust from the keyboard. He inhaled a dust bunny and backed up, gagging.

Henry frowned. He pulled up a stool. The keyboard was bit beat up. There was some jelly on a key. “People around here need to learn basic respect for equipment.” He pulled a cloth from his hat and went to work at cleaning the messes all over the poor instrument. Ten minutes later it was ready for performance.

“That’s a lot better.” He scouted the area.

Nerris was on top of a wooden tower with a pile of a stuffed animals. Judging from the screams he could assume that she was doing some sort of turn based game with them. A frog plush came flying down and hit a platypus. The platypus grabbed the plushie and ran off with it. Nerris panicked and followed it.

Neil had a computer opened up and he was inspecting it. Seeing what he could repair and what needed more complex tools. He shook his head. There was a box filled with associated parts and tools. Neil dragged out the box and dug through it.  
  
Max was close by. He sat on a towel and was playing gold fish with Nikki and Nurf. There was some money next to all of them. Along with a few pieces of candy. The coins and candy went back and forth like chips on a poker table.

Ered modeled for Dolph as he eagerly painted her. Preston was close by, writing his next play.

Space Kid ran around everyone while making _whooshhh_ noises. He had a rocket toy in his hand and was grinning like it was Christmas morning.

Henry turned his attention to Harrison who was shuffling a deck of cards. Nothing unusual was happening. Things… were a bit dull at the moment. This was an improvement over the cult and Henry was glad to be here. Even if things were awkward. Even if he had to act as a spy.

Making sure that the settings were correct on the keyboard, Henry started to play. It had been forever since he was able to choose what song so he picked something a bit unusual. A cover for a song he remembered hearing one night.

 

_“Evan! Can you turn that down?”_

_Henry stopped practicing the new trick that Harrison showed him earlier and peeked outside his door. Their mother was in the hall. She knocked on the door across from Henry again._

_“Please don’t make me grab your father!”_

_The door opened and Evan popped out. “Yea ma?”_  
  
_She sighed. “Your music needs to be a bit quieter.”_  
  
_Henry watched his older brother go deeper into his room. The door was left open but within a few seconds the music was turned down._

  _The song was pleasing. It was slow with a gradual build, gaining energy along the way. He made a mental note to learn it in the morning._

 

  _After breakfast Henry scurried over to the living room and hopped onto the bench. The family piano greeted him with freshly dusted keys. He pounded away at them for a bit, trying to translate his memories into notes. Things… seemed off however and he quickly grew frustrated._

_“Having trouble?” Evan stepped into the room._

  _Henry looked up. “No?”_

  _Evan ruffled Henry’s sandy light brown hair. It was almost blond and was the exact color of Evan’s hair. He winked. “Follow me.”_

  
_Henry was confused but he decided to go with his brother’s plans. They entered Evan’s room._

  _It was a mess as usual. Clothes covered the bed. The walls were covered in photos along with his camera. Photos of family, the soccer team and there was even a picture of Harrison’s new bunny, Flopsy. His camera hung on the door knob._

 _“Why am I here?”_  
  
_Evan warmly smiled. “You’ll see.”_  
  
_Henry sat on the bed and watched as Evan typed on his keyboard. Within a couple of moments he was able to find a piano cover for the song he blasted last night._

  _“Now I got it!” Henry ran downstairs and returned to the piano._

 

“Wow.” Space Kid noticed Henry’s performance and sat down to listen.

Henry looked up and missed up a few notes in surprise. There was tears in the corner of his eye from the sudden memory. He shut his eyes and played a bit harder. Maybe he could run away from his emotions. He couldn’t ice his surroundings again. He was better than that.

Nerris wrestled her frog plush free from Muack’s merciless grip and joined Space Kid.

Harrison put away his cards and walked over. The keyboard was a bit out of shape but he knew his brother had talent. It might not be enough to make a shitty cheap keyboard sound perfect but it was pretty damn close.

The last few notes rang in the air and the campers who were paying attention clapped. David nudged Gwen. “We have a new happy camper!”  
  
Gwen watched the kids go about their business. “Yea. I think we finally managed to have peace in this mess of a camp for once.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A fairly fluffy chapter. Next one might be even more fluffy :3c we will see. The song that Henry was playing does exist in our reality. I came across a piano cover from Evan Duffy of Strobe by Deadmau5 and...for some reason I considered it a possible theme for him. There's something about the mood of it that just fits? I can't quite explain it. Look it up on Youtube at some point if you want. Its a good cover.
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying this. I'm quite proud of this chapter since I managed to finish it the fastest and I'm a bit early with this update. I'm a bit nervous about how I write some of the campers so if you notice me falling into fanon instead of canon pleaseeeee yell at me in the comments (not really please don't be rude but let me know if I'm screwing up lol)
> 
> Next update should roughly be... March 15? I wanted to work soon and if that happens I might not be able to post as frequently but I can only work weekends so I don't see me being too impacted by life until I start classes again.


	4. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's first day at camp winds to a end. Meanwhile Daniel ends up more involved with the council's plan than he intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay. It took me forever to find the motivation to write and I kept getting distracted and discouraged.

Daniel paced back and forth. He glanced at the setting sun. Nothing. No contact.

“Sir…? Aren’t you supposed to be inside? Its getting late.”

He greeted the voice with an icy blue glare. “I’m sorry. Who’s in charge here? Not you.”

“Oh. Sorry sir.” The man scurried away in a panic.

Daniel was starting to really dislike this place. Which was odd. This was his home ever since he was a teenager. Throughout the years he rose in rank and became one of the High Council’s most valuable assets. He should be proud… but yet something felt off.

“Still nothing?” Cherry walked over.

“Nope.”

“You gave him a way to contact us right?”   
  
“I… forgot. But I’m not in charge of him. Well I am but still. I...”  
  
Cherry let out an annoyed sigh. “You are such an idiot you know that?”

Daniel rubbed his arm. “I know...”

“Are you even still loyal to us?” The dangerous look in her eyes shocked Daniel. “You have been acting quite funny lately and I’m getting suspicious. You didn’t attend last weeks ceremony. Now you are way too attached to this kid and slacking in your sacred duties.”  
  
“What makes you think that I’m not doing my job?”   
  
“Everything I just said. I get it. You see something in him. His powers are a gift from the Great One. Might have frozen a couple of pipes and caused other accidents around the property but he’s very valuable to have around. You on the other hand...not so much.”  
  
“You can’t kick me out?” Daniel gasped. _Leaving would be nice but… I can’t go now._

“If you continue to slip up I will. Most of the council would agree with me. You are a failure. Couldn’t even complete a simple task. You got tricked by a child.” 

“I tried to sacrifice him to...”  
  
“Lies.” Cherry interjected. “I know you are lying. You discarded the beliefs that saved you. You disrespected _him_. You don’t belong here.”  
  
“Where’s the evidence then?” Daniel smirked. “I might be a fool but I’m quite lucky. How did you think that I escaped from the bunker?”  
  
Cherry held up a journal. “Oh. You aren’t lucky. Just a plain fool.”  
  
The color disappeared from Daniel’s face. He felt to his knees. “Please… don’t tell the council… I’ll do anything.”

“That’s more like it.” Cherry grinned. “I want you to be our messenger boy. Sneak over to the camp, get information from Henry and return back at a decent time. Do this every other day and I won’t report you.” She pulled her hood back up. “I haven’t had to get rid of a traitor in some time.”

Traitor. The word grated on his ears as she left the scene. Daniel stood up. Looks like he wasn’t going to receive any sleep tonight.

 

The bonfire that David set up for evening smores was crackling nicely. It had taken some time to start but Nikki saved the day with some leftover gasoline. A couple of the campers were tinged red as a result.

“Where did David go?” Neil asked, handing Nurf a bag of marshmallows. The bulky kid tore the bag open right after receiving them, causing marshmallows to fly everywhere.

“He insisted on finding Henry a shirt.” Max poked at the fire. “Could have waited until tomorrow but noooo.”

Henry had taken off his vest, tie and hat and was only wearing the shirt and pants he arrived in. It wasn’t the clothes he wanted but he was a bit more comfortable without the accessories. Ered mentioned during dinner that Harrison was putting on a magic show tomorrow. Perhaps he could dress up again for that. He was not a fan of all of the gray but it was all he had. Unless he borrowed clothes from… huh?

Laughter broke him out of his thoughts. A marshmallow bounced off of his head and more giggling followed.

“Nerris!”

“Hit him again he deserves it for freezing my lovely legs!”  
  
“Preston!” There was more of a begging tone with Harrison’s voice this time. “Please stop throwing marshmallows at Henry.”   
  
A second marshmallow hit Henry in the forehead.  
  
Harrison ripped the bag from Nerris. She tackled him and they tussled in the dirt.  
“Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Cut it out you two! Get away from the fire!” Gwen ran over to break up the fight before one of them could get hurt.

The bag of marshmallows went flying over Gwen’s head. Harrison and Nerris both reached for it.

“My loot!” Nerris shoved Harrison away from the bag and he fell on top of the bonfire.

The majority of the campers screamed.

“Welp that’s one more dead camper.” Quartermaster shrugged.

Nerris burst into tears. “I didn’t mean to. I…” She leaned against Preston who was shocked about the sudden contact and her reaction.

“Ta...da!” Harrison stood up in the flames unharmed. 

“Screw you Harrison!” Max dropped the hose.

“How are you alive?” Neil asked as Harrison stepped out.

“Magic!”

Neil stared at Harrison in shock. “There’s no way anyone could survive that? You must have a fire blanket somewhere.”

“Give it up. Harrison’s a complete mystery at this point.” Max had stolen David’s phone and was now combing through his social media.

Henry nervously giggled. “Mom had to kick him out of the fireplace more than once. He would hide in there during winter.”

“You tried to fit in the freezer all of the time in the summer!” Harrison shouted back.

“I was hot!”

Nerris took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. Okay maybe she overreacted a bit. If he was an ordinary child… things would have ended a bit differently. Why did she react like that? Harrison was just a pest to her. Charming at times… but annoying. 

"You like him huh?” Preston teased.

“Shut up!”

Harrison walked over to his friends. “Sorry for the scare.”

“Your hat is on fire.” Nerris lisped.

“Oh.” he patted the flames out.

“Nerris was quite...”

“Shut your mouth Preston!” Nerris jabbed her elbow into his side. Preston winced.

David’s phone went off. Corny upbeat guitar playing blasted from it. Max busted out laughing once he noticed the contact name. “Hey David! Mommy’s calling!”

“Why you little shit.” Gwen stomped over the other side of the fire. “You took his phone again!” She grabbed it from Max and hollered for David.

Thankfully he was close by and answered the call. He tucked a yellow shirt under his arms. “Hey mom. I would love to talk to you right now but I’m busy at the camp. Oh? Yeah… we can talk later. I’ll text you when I’m free.”

He hung up. 

Max tried to reach for the phone but David pushed him away. “Sorry fella. This is going safely in my pocket.”   
David turned around and handed Henry the shirt. “Congratulations!”  
  
“Oh… thanks.” Henry stammered.

A half hour later the campers were guided to their tents for bed. Henry stood outside the tent that Harrison shared with Preston. He bit his lip.

“He’s fine in there?” Campbell walked by with a fresh pile of firewood.

Gwen looked at a paper with the current tent assignments. Nerris and Ered, Max and Neil. Preston and Harrison. Space Kid and Dolph. Nikki and Nurf had tents to themselves.

“Nurf has room.” She cast her gaze on his tent and then at Henry. “But would I pair them? No.”  
  
“What about swapping tents around?” David suggested.  
  
“Too much work. We just sent them to bed.” Gwen gripped the clipboard tighter. “We could just let him in with his brother and figure things out in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me!” David cheerfully marched off.

“You hear that?” Gwen asked.   
  
Henry turned around. “Uh.. yea?” He nervously ducked into the tent.

 

“Aw come on where am I supposed to sleep now?” Preston waved his hands at Henry. “I refuse to give up my sleeping bag!”

"You don’t have to?” Harrison sighed.

“Pull one of your hat magic boy.” Henry teased. 

Harrison rolled his eyes. “How about you do it.”

“No you.”  
  
Preston stomped his foot and left the tent. He returned moments later with a dark green sleeping bag in his hands. “Shut up and go to bed.”

“Thanks?” Henry unwrapped it.

“Where did you get that from?”

“What?” Preston tilted his head.  
  
Of course Preston’s hearing was no longer reliable. How could he forget? Harrison searched for a pen and paper.

 

_Sleeping bag. Where did you get that from?_

 

Preston snatched the pen out of Harrison’s hand.

 

_Quartermaster’s shed._

 

Harrison checked on Henry. He had set up his sleeping bag beside his brother’s and put a blanket over both.

Preston returned the pen.

 

_Make sure you get to bed on time. Last night you left the lantern on and I could barely sleep._

 

Preston pinched the top of his nose. Harrison did have a point. The both of them failed to get a good night’s sleep. The revisions of his play were important… but so was rest. Along with their sanity.

Henry wiggled into the shirt that David had handed him at the camp fire.

The lantern went out without warning and the three boys shrieked in surprise.

“Hold on.” 

A tiny flame lit up from Harrison’s index finger. He waved it around. “There. Can everyone see something at least?”  
  
“Yea?” Henry dove under the blanket.

Preston put down the pen and notebook. He got into his sleeping bag.

Harrison blew on his finger and the fire disappeared, turning the surroundings dark once more. He made his way to the sleeping bags and got under the blanket.

“I know this sounds odd but I miss sleeping next to you.” Henry mumbled.

“Me too. I know Mom always joked about us being inseparable.”

“She was right. What did dad say before?”  
  
Henry giggled. “We used to pull our cribs together so one of us could sneak into the other’s. They didn’t like that too much.”  
  
Harrison smiled. “Yeah..”  
  
“You are always warm. That’s what I missed.” Henry snuggled up closer.

“Where did you end up?”

“Not now. Please. I’ll explain soon.”   
  
Harrison shivered as Henry pressed against him. “I’ll leave you alone...” The sudden drop in his brother’s body temperature frightened him a bit.

“Good night.”

 

A couple of assorted noises shook Henry out of his dreams. He was in the middle of a strange one involving Daniel dancing around the camp. Piano music was playing through out the dream. The whole camp was on the ground covered in maple syrup?

Henry rubbed his eyes. Harrison and Preston were still sleeping. He carefully wiggled out of Harrison’s grip. It was kind of sweet how he passed out like that. Light snoring came from Preston.

He tiptoed out of the tent and looked around. Nothing in sight. Moonlight illuminated a figure that quickly hid in nearby shrubbery.

“Muack!”

Oh… it was just the platypus. Henry turned around.

“Hey!” A loud whisper came from the bushes.

Henry approached the voice. “Who’s there?”

Daniel stepped out.

“What are you doing here?” Henry looked up at him. “How did you even get here?” His voice grew higher in pitch due to fear. “Can you just go? I don’t want to see you.” He crossed his arms.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “You are being quite rude.”

“Drop the act I know something is up.”

“I walked _hours_ to get here. Now spill the information.” Daniel inspected their surroundings. The campgrounds were eerily silent.

“You could have handed me a phone or something to keep in touch but whatever. I don’t know anything yet? It just seems like a usual summer camp to me. Can I go back to bed now?” Henry yawned.

One of the tents slowly became unzipped. Henry and Daniel stared each other down before disappearing behind the bushes.

“I get that its your first day kiddo but obviously you know something.”

Henry ignored him and peeked over the bushes. Nerris stumbled out of her tent. She made her way to the bathrooms.

_Wow she looks weird without her elf ears on._

Daniel cleared his throat. “I can’t return empty handed.”

Henry shot him a smirk. “Or what? They will kick you out? That’s fine with me. You never treated me right.”  
  
“Excuse you!”

“You might want to quiet down a bit. People are still sleeping.” Henry stood up. “I want nothing to do with you or the High Council anymore. Now that I’m here I don’t intend on leaving. Tell them that. I quit.”

Daniel was shocked. This kid was either a complete idiot or actually quite smart. There was no way that he could be retrieved from the camp without a fuss. He… kind of admired his thinking. A reckless decision but a slightly clever one as well. Quite a change from the quiet and cooperative boy that he knew for the past few months. Something at this camp must have sparked a fire within him. But what? There was no way he made friends this quickly.

“I don’t plan on telling them that. I’ll… just say you had no major news to report. You settled in nicely and I need to wait for more information.”   
  
Henry relaxed a bit. “I guess?”  
  
“And I’m… sorry.” Daniel added. He facepalmed. _Why did I say that? I know the kid grew on me but for fuck’s sake I can’t just apologize like that._

Henry shrugged and walked back to his tent.

Daniel sighed. He was exhausted. Maybe he could sleep but would that get him in trouble? Surely the council would understand if he returned back late. 

Muack hissed at him and waddled off.

 

Sticks and leaves crunched under his feet as he walked deeper into the forest. The bunker was nearby. That seemed like the wisest spot for a power nap. His vision blurred. It wasn’t close enough. He needed shelter fast.   
  
After dragging his feet for a little while he came across a cave. It wasn’t the bunker but it seemed untouched enough. No one would find him here. Cool air greeted his nose. His eyes rolled back and he felt to the ground. Thankfully for his head there was a patch of moss and grass from the cave’s last inhabitant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was finally able to write Daniel more in character! Woo! Not sure how far I want to take shipping in this but I'm keeping the Nerris/Harrison/Preston mostly platonic due to their current ages. I might write some short fics based off of this fic with everything from fluff to angst. These will be scattered throughout the story's timeline. Depending on how I end this I might even write up a sequel. Not sure yet. 
> 
> Also...David's phone call/text with his mother. That hints at something. Can say much since its still in planning but ;) you'll know near the end of this fic.


	5. Summertime Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David thinks about his past, the magic twins discuss things and camp shenanigans happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not updating sooner. Life started to kick my butt and I didn't have the spoons to properly write. Oh! And my new tumblr url is smolmagicalmuffin and I do post updates on this fic at times.

Stars glittered above as David stepped into the night. This was nothing new for him. He lost count of the sleepless nights from over the years. He thought about what his mother said. She mentioned that his father just recently got out of jail. An armed robbery from a couple years back. Thankfully no one was injured but since it wasn’t his first crime, the sentence stacked up, earning him the extra year or two. 

His father and mother didn’t have the healthiest relationship. David shuddered as he remembered the screaming and fighting. During those nights he would huddle with his brother in his older sister’s room. She would comfort them. Thankfully their parents made the decision to separate but it came at a cost. David’s brother was now solely under his father’s custody. He had tried to contact his brother for years but there was no update on his well being. 

When David finally got news he was told that he had ran away and his father was soon arrested. He gave up the search but kept his brother in his heart. He tried to be supportive and loving towards the rest of his family. His mother deserved much better and he felt bad about the way he treated her as a child. His sister was doing well. She became a marine biologist and explored the coastlines with her wife who came from a family of fisherman. 

He smiled. Yes there was things to worry about but here? Camp Campbell was his home. There was joy here. His camp changed his life for the better and he wanted to spread that sense of purpose to any campers he could. 

 

“Why do you have a bag of butterscotch candy?” Henry pointed at the bag Harrison was holding. “Where did you even get that from?” 

Harrison shushed him. 

“Fine fine.” Henry frowned. He glanced around. “I don’t see her.” 

“Good.” Harrison slipped into a tent. Ered and Nerris shared this one. No one was inside at the moment. He found a pile of stuffed animals and placed the bag of candy in the arms of one. 

“Look. I know this might sound weird but I just wanted to give my… friend a treat?” He almost gagged on the word. “Wow its weird to say that.” 

Henry gave him a knowing grin. “Rivals to friends huh?.” 

Footsteps from outside got both of their attention. They shot each other a panicked look and disappeared behind the stuffed animal pile. 

Nerris entered the tent. She gasped at the bag of candy. 

Henry slightly raised his head to get a better look. Harrison pushed it back down. 

“Hey!”

“She’s going to see us!”

“Shut up!” 

Nerris rolled her eyes and kicked down the pile. Henry and Harrison weakly smiled.

“Harry was the one who gave you the candy don’t blame me.”

“Shhh!”

They gave Nerris one last embarrassed look before scurrying out of the tent.

“So uh… what happened when I made you disappear? Sorry if this is a bad time to ask but I...”

Henry sighed. “Its fine.” He sat down on a rock. “Basically I appeared on the side of a dirt road. A man found me. He was dressed in all white. Took me to some community and I was stuck there. I managed to escape and now I’m here.”

“All...white?” The gears in Harrison’s mind were turning. He remembered the clothing Henry showed up in. 

“Yea… I wasn’t treated that well either.” Henry pulled up some grass. “And I blamed you for it. I’m sorry.”

Harrison felt like there was more to the story but he didn’t push. “Its understandable. I’m just glad to see you again.”

“How’s home?”

Henry’s question shook up Harrison for a bit. 

“Mom and dad are terrified of me. I got pulled out of school and now I’m home schooled.” His palms began to heat up. “They sent me here to bring you back.” 

“Did they hurt you?” 

“No...not intentionally. Besides for the distance I was fine.” Harrison chuckled. “I even showed them a new card trick without them panicking one night.”

Henry could see a hint of pain in his brother’s olive eyes. “They did something to you.”

“Not really… I doubt it was any worse than what you went through.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The heat in Harrison’s hands grew a bit stronger. They started to itch. “I told you everything. Stop bugging me.” 

Henry raised an eyebrow. “Clearly not.”

“Oh come on you hid some details from me. You can’t act like you are any better.”

“I’m just… worried. I don’t think our parents are that awful… but I’m scared. Scared that they treated you wrong. I would hate for you to be blamed for the accident. I know you did the magic but both of us weren’t aware of the final result. It was unpredictable. I’m still alive. Yea… I’m a bit beaten up on the inside but I want to be back home. I want things to be okay again. I missed you. I missed our parents so much.”

Without a warning the tears fell. A small flame ignited in Harrison’s hand but was quickly extinguished. 

Henry gave him a weak smile. He stood up and wrapped his arms around Harrison. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Harrison wiped his eyes and nose. “No… its fine. Like I said they just feared me. When I was in the same room with them for long periods of time they got anxious. I heard mom cry almost very night for a month. I was just… avoided for a bit. Eventually they felt safe enough to fully interact with me comfortably… but are still nervous.”

“That’s… not good. But better than I was fearing.”

Harrison playfully punched Henry’s shoulder. “Oh quit worrying about me. I’m fine.” 

“I doubt that.” Henry laughed. “But I’m glad things seem settled now.”

“As long as you don’t throw ice balls at me or freeze my friends again I think we should be good.”

“Hey! That was an accident!” 

 

Max dug through Henry’s backpack. The rest of the camp was out by the lake so Max was free to poke around the tent without any distractions. He could do his investigation in peace. It seemed odd that Harrison’s brother would reappear out of no where and even more peculiar was the fact that he arrived in white clothing. Of course now he was wearing a yellow camp shirt and a pair of jeans Gwen had found in the counselors cabin but still it made him wonder. Was Henry involved in Daniel’s cult? His suspicions were starting to consume his thoughts. He wasn’t completely obsessed but he had to confirm his fears. 

There was no evidence in the bag. A gray hat, spare clothing and some camping supplies. Nothing that screamed “hey this kid is going to kill us all!” The only evidence that could remotely work was the white clothing. That wasn’t solid enough.

“Uh… Max? What are you doing here?”

Max swore under his breath. He turned around to find Nerris in the entrance. Nikki was behind her. 

“What are you two doing here?”

Nikki bounced up and down. “We sneaked out. Grabbed stuff at a gas station. I got to pet a doggy!” 

“Yeah… it was a successful adventure!” Nerris shifted her attention towards Max. “I don’t think Harrison is going to be pleased with you trashing his tent.”

“I wasn’t trashing it. I was...” Max scrambled for a lie. He was trying to avoid being snitched on but a lie did not seem like the best course of action. “All right. You caught me. I don’t trust Henry. So I’ve been looking around… I think he’s up to no good.” He noticed the bag of candy that Nerris was holding.

“Absolutely not.” Nerris scoffed. “The candy isn’t for me.”

Max smirked. “Caramel Kisses… aw are those for Harrison? Here’s the deal. You don’t tell anyone that I was in here and I won’t tell anyone about your delivery.”

Nerris sighed. She tossed the bag at the collection of sleeping bags. “Fine. But there is nothing deep about this. It is a gift exchange. I was rewarded with my favorite candy so I decided to do the same. In fact I owe Preston something as well… Nikki what did you do with the Mounds bar?

“I ate it.”

“Nikki… that was for Preston.”

“I’m sorry. But hey! Next time we go I’ll pay for it!” 

“How did you two even get money?” 

“Campbell… took it right from his pocket! He was napping.” Nikki grinned. 

Max was mildly impressed. He would have to pickpocket Campbell soon. Perhaps him and Neil could slip out one night into town. Or he could just go out on his own. If Nikki and Nerris could pull their gas station run off it clearly wasn’t that hard for him to do something similar. 

They left the tent. Gwen was waiting for them nearby. 

“Aw fuck.”

“Max, Nikki and… Nerris? Seriously Nerris you are the last person I expected to sneak out.”

Nerris awkwardly shrugged.

“Anyway since you three couldn’t stick with everyone else today, no dessert.” Gwen sighed at Nikki’s begging eyes. “Look I didn’t want to take away dessert from you but you kids need to learn. You need to stay with everyone. Its safer that way.”

“How about you watch us better?” 

Gwen ignored Max’s remark. “Just meet everyone else by the lake.” 

Nikki, Nerris and Max groaned and headed towards the lake. Gwen followed behind. Kids… they really were a pain at times. At least the summer was almost over. She could head back to her apartment soon and take a relaxing bath. She smiled at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter might not come out until September-October because I am moving very soon. Hopefully this was worth the wait... this is a shorter chapter compared to my previous ones. Next chapter (or the one following it, not sure yet) is where things pick up.


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